Charlie and Cas
by ConsultingHunterOfGalifrey
Summary: She promised Dean to look after him.. Just some anti-"I'm No Angel" sad feels and angst... (started before "Slumber Party")
1. Chapter 1: The Spin-Off

Chapter One: The Spin-Off

"Thanks again, Charlie. You rock."

Charlie smiled at Dean. "I'm not denying it anytime soon." She walked off to her car, giving the Vulcan Salute. "Love you guys!" "Love you too, Charlie!" The Winchesters replied. Charlie hopped into her car.

Cas was dosing in the passenger seat, all buckled up and ready. He looked drowsy. Charlie nudged Cas. His eyes bolted open and he went for his Angel Blade. "Relax, Cas, it's just me, sweetie..." Cas put down the blade. He yawned. "You said we were going last night. It's morning..."

"Sorry. There was this whole mess that happened. Long story short: Oz is real..." Cas nodded. "The Winchesters do find trouble more than most humans... Who is Oz?" Charlie shook her head. Sam had told her Castiel wasn't well-versed in pop culture, but she hadn't expected him to be THIS in the dark. "Okay, first order of business when we get home: we are having a movie marathon. All the classics, some other great ones, the works." Cas nodded drowsily.

Charlie sighed. "It's a thirteen hour drive to Michigan. I'm still tired from yesterday and you look like you need a bed. How about we stop at a hotel and head home later?" Cas nodded. "I would like that very much, Charlie..."

~0~

They pulled over at the second hotel they found (the first was a Motel 6, and Charlie was not in the mood to sleep with one eye open and Cas's blade gripped in her hands...). Cas walked into their room and collapsed on a bed. Charlie set her bag on the other bed. "Okay, this one's mine then..."

Cas grabbed the unused pillow and clutched it tight like a teddy bear. He immediately started snoring. Charlie walked over to the sleeping man, took off his shoes, and grabbed the unused end of his bed's comforter. She pulled it over Cas.

He stirred a bit, but was still asleep. "Dean..." He mumbled in his sleep. Charlie felt a twinge of sympathy. She promised Dean she would take care of Cas. When she'd asked Dean why he couldn't keep his best friend (and possible soul mate, if you believed the subtext of the Carver Edmund books and forums...), he just grunted "It's complicated." And she didn't want to pry and ask Cas.

She took her shoes off and got into her bed, and giggled a bit. A socially awkward fallen angel living with a geeky, tech-savvy lesbian. It was like the premise of a sitcom. "Well..." She thought, "Dean and Sam are living in a bunker with a prophet, and The King of Hell trapped in their basement. This is kind of the spin-off. Charlie and Cas: Wednesdays this fall." And with that, she decided to go to sleep.

~0~

AN: I just wanted to do a little side project of fluffiness. I'm still not totally over the end of "I'm No Angel", and after the recent chapter I wrote for "The Life and Times..." kinda depressed myself, I wanted to do something fun. So I hope you enjoy! *Insert Disclaimer*


	2. Chapter 2: How To Care For Fallen Angels

They got back to Charlie's late at night. She pointed him to the guest room Well, technically it was her office, she just had a futon in there for those nights where making the trip down the hall to her actual room was too much of a Herculean effort. Cas flopped right on the mattress. He grabbed a stuffed Chewbacca that had been lying around and went to bed.

Charlie, on the other hand, got on her laptop and checked her email. There was a message from Dean:

Charlie,

Thanks for watching Cas for me. We're going through some stuff right now, and this seriously takes a load off my mind. You remember all the anti-angel warding stuff we told you? I attached pictures of the symbols just in case. Anyway, just some stuff you ought to know about Cas:

-He likes hamburgers... A lot...

-Don't let him drink

-He tends to be a bit too trusting for his own good

-Probably won't get, like, 80-90% of your references, even if it's to a classic (I know, it sucks...)

-Most importantly, DON'T let him watch porn! It... It won't end well...

Thanks again, I owe you one, this means a lot!

Dean

Charlie smiled to herself. "I ship it..." Then she looked over the list again. "Crap, now I need to lock up my hentai..."

The next morning, Cas drowsily made his way out to the kitchen. Charlie was on a tablet. "Morning! Cereal is on the counter..." Cas made his way to the box of Captain Crunch. "Thank you, Charlie. For letting me stay here..."

"You don't need to keep thanking me. Cas. It's no prob." She glanced up at Cas. He looked like a ragamuffin. His hair was all ruffled with bedhead. And his clothes looked like he had worn them for days. In fact...

"Cas, do you have ANY extra clothes? You can't always wear the same thing anymore. You're not an angel..." Cas shook his head, scooping a spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "Okay, change in plans: we go shopping for some extra clothes and food, THEN we marathon all the things..." Cas nodded, chewing.

"And you can always borrow t-shirts from me..." Cas swallowed. "Aren't men's shirts different than women's shirts?" he asked, tilting his head. "I have some "guy shirts". One of the perks of being a woman: wearing men's clothing with less judgement then the other way around..."

Cas nodded again, and ate another spoonful. "Thank you..."

"I'm serious, Cas. Stop."


	3. Chapter 3: Texts and Unicorns

Dean: Hey, Charlie.

Charlie: Hey, Dean! How r u!? It's been a week since u emailed! We thought u were dead...

Charlie: Again...

Dean: Haha, no. Just busy. You know: hunting, Abaddon running around starting Hell's Civil War, angels everywhere, Metatron, keeping an eye on Sam, keeping an eye on KEVIN, etc...

Charlie: :( Srry. Hey, how's the whole "King of Hell is ur prisoner" thing going?

Dean: Eh, like what you'd expect...

Dean: How's Cas?

Charlie: He's doing good. Gave him a crash course in TV and Movies. He now understands who Chewy is. (He's kinda adopted my stuffed animal of him BTW...) And he's assured me the people who cancelled Firefly won't get into Heaven when he gets back. Did u get the email of him doing The Carlton?

Dean: Hahaha! Yes! I never thought I'd see that. He looks so... Happy...

Charlie: It was amazing. U had to have been there when he first gave in to the music and danced. I think "It's Not Unusual" has become his fave song...

Dean: ...Of course it did... Glad he's doing okay...

Dean: Any angel trouble?

Charlie: Nope! Not a one, yet. Then again, he's rarely left the house. Why go outside when we've got Netflix, Xbox Live, and pizza on speed dial?

Charlie: ...So, can you explain a little more about WHY you kicked Heaven's Dreamiest Angel out of your bunker?

Dean: No.

Charlie: ...Okay... Do you want to at least talk to him? He misses you like crazy, Dean.

Dean: No.

Charlie: You have to talk to him sooner or later, Dean.

/

Dean didn't reply back to Charlie's last text. She sighed and turned the phone off. Someday Dean was going to stop being an idiot. A lovable idiot that was like a brother to her, but an idiot nonetheless.

Cas called from the living room. "So, is Dean fine?" Charlie went out to the living room. "Yeah. You aren't going to ask about Sam?" Cas shrugged. "If Dean's fine, Sam's probably fine." Charlie glanced up and nodded. He had a point.

She looked at what Cas was watching. "...Is that My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic?" Cas's eyes remained fixated on the screen, as they usually were when he watched TV. "I empathize with the purple unicorn's social inadequacies and the yellow pegasus's kindness..."

"I've created a monster..." Cas held a finger out to Charlie, signaling her to be quiet.

"The pink one is giggling at the ghostie..."


	4. Chapter 4: House Cas

Cas laid on the sofa, tossing Chewbacca up into the air and catching him. He'd been living with Charlie two weeks now. It had been fun. Better than when he was on the run. He could see why The Winchesters liked living in their bunker, besides the water pressure. It was nice to have a home for the first time in years. Heaven hadn't felt much like home the last few times he'd been.

He heard Charlie shout, "FRAK!" and race down the hall. She stopped in the living room. Cas noticed she was dressed rather nice: a blouse and dark pants. "You're going on a date?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. This nice girl I met from the laundromat. Her name's Billie. Our upstairs neighbor set us up. Diana Bowman. She's Austrailian."

Cas nodded. "Have fun. And remember protection. And an angel blade... Apparently they aren't the same..."

Charlie smiled, grabbing a purse. "I would've thought a former angel would have a different reaction to me dating a girl..."

"I'm indifferent to sexual orientation. And angels don't send people to Hell just for homosexuality if that's what you were thinking..."

"Okay, cool. I got to go, I'm already running late. You know where the food and phone is. Don't be too loud. Don't trash the apartment. And don't you dare watch the next episode of Agents of SHIELD without me! Bye!" She hastily exited the apartment.

"...I'm not a child. Am I, Chewbacca?" He asked the stuffed animal. He sat up and put it aside.

His stomach growled. "I'm hungry..." Cas got up and searched the kitchen for something that seemed good. What were those things Charlie taught him to make? "Pancakes." He remembered, grabbing the ingredients.

As soon as the first batch was done, he went to eat his first stack. Cas had his first bite. He moaned in delight. The former angel devoured the whole batch. Now with a full stomach, he decided to finish the last batch of pancakes. "Charlie can have the leftovers for breakfast..." he thought.

As he cooked the pancakes, the phone rang. Cas ran to the phone and picked up. "Hello. This is Cas..." He couldn't remember Charlie's alias's last name.

"Cas?"

He nearly dropped the phone.


	5. Chapter 5: The Call

"Dean?"

The elder Winchester cleared his throat. "Y...Yeah, it's me. Where's Charlie?"

"She went on a date. I'm on my own right now. I made pancakes. Before you ask, we've taken the necessary precautions against angels, and I've seen none of my siblings."

Both men were silent. Cas finally spoke. "I miss you..."

"I miss you, too, Cas..."

"Is... The reason I'm not allowed to stay with you Ezekiel?"

Dean went quiet on the other end. "How do you know about Zeke?"

"You mentioned him when Sam was in the hospital. I know I went to heaven briefly after the incident with the Reaper. I can somewhat sense my brother's presence in Sam. I'm not a fool... He's healing Sam as he heals himself, correct?"

More silence. "Yeah... Look, Cas, If I could find a way to, I'd keep you at the bunker and NEVER let you leave again. But Sam..."

"...Comes first, I know. You would do anything for your family..."

"...Cas, I..."

The smoke alarm went off. The last few pancakes Cas was cooking had burst into flame. Cas made a face and shook his head. "Oh, son of a..."

"Cas?"

"I have to go, Dean. The kitchen is turning into Hell..." He said, hanging up. He reached for the fire extinguisher and the sink hose. "Father, if you're listening, please don't let me burn the apartment down..."

~0~

Charlie, of course, walked in at least five minutes after most of the fire was gone. She nearly dropped the plastic bag she was holding. Cas extinguished the final flame. "Ha! Now I need to find the mop..." He spun around and saw Charlie. His victorious feeling deflated.

"What happened?" She asked.

"I had an accident with the last of the pancake batter..." He noticed the bright red stain on her blouse. "What happened to you? Did my brothers at-"

"No. My jealous ex Hannah crashed my date. She kept going on about being a captain now, she and Billie got into a fight, and spaghetti got everywhere. Ruined the night." She sighed. "Hannah's a tool..." Cas tilted his head. "I'm very sorry..."

"Aw, don't be. Here!" She said, digging out a paper cup with plastic over it. "I got fro-yo. Netflix?" Cas nodded. Charlie retreated to her room to change clothes while Cas put the frozen yogurt in the fridge and cleaned the kitchen. He flopped on the sofa and booted up the streaming service.

Charlie came back out, retrieved the yogurts and sat beside Cas. Cas thanked Charlie for the yogurt and loaded up a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode. As the theme played, Charlie turned to Cas. "So, what happened in the kitchen?"

"Dean called."

"Oh." Charlie replied. She scooped up some more fro-yo. "Did you talk to him, or did he hang up?" she asked, taking a bite.

"I talked to him. We... Came to an understanding. Though I had to hang up, because..."

"The kitchen became Mt. Doom. I get it..." She took another bite.

Castiel scraped his spoon at the frozen treat. He stared pensively at it. "... I'm not allowed to use the stove for a while, am I?"

Charlie, her spoon still in her mouth, shook her head. "Nope." she said, pulling it out.

"Okay." Cas said. And that was the end of that conversation.


	6. Chapter 6: Dreams

Cas was sleeping soundly, arms wrapped around his beloved Chewbacca. He didn't understand why he enjoyed sleeping with the toy. Perhaps it was just that he found the presence of something beside him comforting. Even if the Wookie's plush likeness was inanimate. He did, however, understand why he'd grown to like sleeping. He enjoyed dreams.

As an angel, he'd only ever experienced dreams vicariously through other people. Never one of his own. He was merely a visitor at best, an intruder at worst. But now, as a human, he could experience them "properly".

At first, all he had were nightmares. Sometimes, he was alone. Completely alone. He'd call out for The Winchesters, someone, anyone... All he got was his own voice, echoing back. Others, he relived painful memories. Meg's death, Naomi manipulating his mind, Metatron stealing his grace, nearly killing Dean. Dying. Every mistake he ever made. The worst was a dream where Dean cut his heart out with an angel blade.

Whatever the nightmare, he'd wake up screaming. Charlie would often rush in, sit beside him on the bed, and ask if he was okay. Cas would rest his head on her shoulder, tears streaming down his face. Charlie would pet his head. He'd describe the dream, a practice he found strangely therapeutic. And Charlie would quip something about how at least Freddy... Something... (He didn't understand the reference) wasn't in the dreams.

Sometimes she would grab a book off her shelf and read. Cas appreciated the gesture, and liked The Chronicles of Narnia best. It calmed him down, and he could sleep fine.

~0~

But tonight, like many recent nights, he had no nightmares. They had lessened the longer he stayed with Charlie. Plus, that fateful phone call had all but eradicated them. He smiled in his sleep.

He dreamed surreal, happy dreams. Dreams of happier memories. Dreams where when he called out, someone would make sure he wasn't alone anymore. The best one was him, Charlie, and Dean, just spending time together.

Castiel smiled in his sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Morning

As much as Castiel loved dreams, he was unfortunately cursed to be a light sleeper. It was hard to tell whether it was just natural, or a trait he picked up from his time running on his own. He also wasn't exactly a "morning person". He despised getting up early. Though, to be fair, his getting up early in the morning wasn't his fault.

He couldn't help that his roommate was a morning person.

Every morning, Cas woke up to "Walking On Sunshine" playing from Charlie's room. He'd groan, and occasionally spit out pieces of synthetic fur from Chewbacca from his mouth. One month and he still hadn't adjusted. Then Cas would plod to the kitchen. He made coffee, poured some cereal, and ate breakfast. Charlie would usually make her way to the kitchen, fully dressed and perky. Cas, while appreciating his friend's demeanor most of the day, was less receptive at 7:15 in the morning.

"Good morning!" she'd say, pouring herself some coffee. "Morning..." he'd mumble. They'd make small talk, then Cas would browse things on the tablet while Charlie used the bathroom.

When she finished, Cas would go and shower. Charlie's apartment had decent water pressure, but it was nothing compared to the bunker. Then Cas would go get dressed. He'd make his way out to find Charlie tapping away on her laptop.

~0~

"Cas, have you thought about getting a job?" Charlie asked one Tuesday morning. Cas shook his head. "You don't have a job anymore, either..."

Charlie shrugged. "I still get enough royalties from this software me and some Moondoor buddies developed. Oh! Do you still want to go next weekend?" Cas nodded. "Okay, cool. Besides, that last job did things I don't approve of. I think I'm rich morally." There was something about how Charlie's demeanor changed that told Cas there was something wrong. But he decided not to pry. After all, she didn't pry about Dean and Ezekiel, it might be best to respect her privacy.

"Hey, the neighbor across the hall, Mr. Lightwood, needs someone to watch his daughter Bianca during the day on weekdays. Maybe you could do that..." Cas nodded. "I do enjoy the company of children." Charlie smiled. "Great! Though, a word of advice: maybe don't say that last bit..." Cas tilted his head, wearing his trademark confused puppy look.

"Why not?"

"Well..."


	8. Chapter 8: To The Moondoor

A/N: So, Cas has a job next episode of Supernatural, and that came after I wrote about Cas needing a job in the fic? *slams hands on table and raises them up* I AM THE PROPHET! ...Carry on...

~0~

Time flew for a while at Charlie's apartment. Cas would spend the mornings looking after young Bianca. Cas really did like children. There was something about their innocence and optimism that warmed his heart. Metatron, when he stole his grace, had told him to settle down and have kids. And, despite his feelings of loathing and betrayal towards the angel, that sounded like a good suggestion...

Plus, Bianca had ponies. He liked ponies.

~0~

"Cas, are you ready to go?" Charlie called, pulling a hoodie over her Moondoor battle gear. They were battling The Warriors of Yesteryear today, and they couldn't be late. Especially her, being queen and all. Cas called from his room: "I CAN'T TIE MY BRACERS!" Charlie sighed. "We'll tie them when we get there, now come on!"

Cas stepped out in full battle gear, bracers gripped in his hand. He smiled, holding his arms out. "How do I look?" Charlie snapped a picture with her phone. "You look awesome, Cas! I'm sending a pic to Dean..." She emailed it to Dean and they rushed to Charlie's car.

~0~

Charlie and Cas finally arrived at The Moons Camp, and Charlie was surrounded by LARPers. "Your Majesty, where have you been? It's almost time to defeat The Warriors of Yesteryear, and take our revenge!" Charlie's right hand man said, then turned to Cas, drawing a sword. "And who is this knave?" Cas instinctively went for the "dagger" Charlie gave him. Charlie stepped between them. "Halt! That is an order! I'm sorry for the delay, Lord Garrison, but I had to collect my... uh... brother, Sir Castiel. He wishes to aid us..."

"Lord Garrison" signaled he was breaking character. "Dude, Charlie, seriously? You chose to bring in a noob today of all days?" Charlie folded her arms. "Gary, come on! He's my brother, he's staying with me for a while, and I didn't want to just ditch him! Besides, the last time I brought in noobs, they ended up being a huge help..." Gary sighed. "Fine."

Gary signaled they were back in character. "Ah, I see. Welcome, Sir Castiel, to our camp." He said, holding his hand out to Cas. Castiel shook his hand. "Thank you, Lord Garrison. I assure you that we will achieve victory over The Warriors of Yesteryear." Charlie smiled, Cas seemed to have a handle on this. Or he could be completely serious. It was hard to tell.

~0~

Charlie adjusted Cas's bracers. "Cas, remember..."

"I'm not going to try and actually kill anyone. You've repeatedly told me not to. I can tell what's reality..." Charlie sighed. "I know." She smiled. "Alright, ready to go?" Cas nodded, then put his fist over his heart as a salute, and bowed. "Ready to follow you into battle, my Queen..."

"Wow, Cas. You're really good at this..." Charlie commented. "Thank you, I watched a lot of Medieval Europe as an angel..." Cas replied. Charlie blinked. "...Alright then. To battle."

~0~

"WARRIORS OF YESTERYEAR! YOU BETRAYED US IN OUR RAID OF THE SHADOW ORCS, AND KIDNAPPED OUR WIZARDS!" "Lord Garrison" shouted across the park to the opposition.

"Wasn't you say he partially to blame for the wizards being caught?" Cas whispered. Charlie sighed. "Yes. He gets... Dramatic..."

"THE GODS HAVE GIVEN US THE CHANCE TO SET THINGS RIGHT HERE ON THE BATTLEFIELD..."

"This was so much better when Dean just stole classic movie speeches..."

"...NOW, WE, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE QUEEN OF MOONS, WILL TAKE BACK WHAT IS..."

A random plunger arrow shot from The Warriors' side, hitting "Garrison" in the head. Everyone from their side turned to the archer responsible. "Darn it, Leroy! Why do we keep inviting you along?" "What? We all wanted to do that!"

"They're distracted, let's go!" Cas called out. Everyone charged at The Warriors, beginning a clash that would still be remembered for years to come by LARPers in the state of Michigan. A battle so great, mere words could not adequately describe the spectacle, the atmosphere, in justifiable detail. Those who experienced it came back to their real lives changed that day.

~0~

Charlie and Cas walked (well, Charlie was more or less skipping gleefully) back to her tent at the end of the day, victorious and linked at the arm. "I enjoyed that..." Cas admitted. Charlie beamed. "Good." Cas collected the things they needed to bring home. Charlie headed to the tent entrance, but stopped.

"What is it, Ch-"

"Shh..." She motioned Cas to come up next to her.

"...Sorry I was off, Leena, it's just, you know, I got this call about my little cousin... They found her dead, with her heart missing... I really should have gone home and..."

"Daryl, it's okay. There's nothing you could have done..."

Cas and Charlie stepped away from the tent entrance. "Sounds like a hunter thing..." Cas commented. Charlie nodded. "We should definitely check it out."

"We?"

"Yeah, I started doing a little hunting before I took you in. You are up for hunting, right?"

Castiel nodded. Then smiled wistfully. "It'll be like with The Winchesters..." Charlie patted him on the back. "Atta boy, Cas. Besides, who knows? Maybe we'll run into them on the job..."


	9. Chapter 9: We're A Couple Of Misfits

A/N: Oh my gosh! Cas and the baby in "Heaven Can't Wait"! I couldn't. Also, Cas babysitting? Again, I am The Oracle! ...Waitaminute, does this mean some of my other fics/other things from this will somehow get canon? O_O Seriously, if Mooseley or part of this hunt happens, I'm gonna freak out... Carry on, my wayward companions... -CH

~0~

Charlie could never get used to pantsuits. Sure, she had dressed up before, but she wouldn't choose to wear a pantsuit if it weren't a hunt. Cas fidgeted in his rented suit. Clearly he wasn't used to suits anymore. She handed Cas a freshly printed fake FBI badge. "You ready to go?" Cas nodded.

~0~

They arrived at the morgue, flashing their badges at the pathologist. "Dr. Bree. Special agents Graham and Starling, we talked on the phone. We're here to investigate the little girl..." Charlie stated. The pathologist smirked, amused. "Funny. Scotland Yard comes to investigate a new body, now the FBI investigates the other..." she said.

Castiel tilted his head. "Isn't that British Law Enforcement?" Dr. Bree threw her hands up. "With how weird these last few cases have been, nothing surprises me..." Charlie nodded. "We might need to check into that, too. Just in case..."

Cas pulled Charlie aside. "One moment, Dr. Bree..." He turned to Charlie. "It's probably another hunter..." Charlie nodded. "Yeah, I kinda figured. Certainly not The Winchesters, though. Sorry, Cas..." "It's alright. Although, Dean did tell me about a hunter who often posed as eccentric th-... Oh no. I... I think I've met this one..." Cas walked towards Dr. Bree and the morgue, nodding. Charlie caught up. "Wait, who is this guy?"

~0~

Cas could recognize the hunter from the one time he met him. He was wearing a bright yellow jacket and a black police-style hat with checks on it. He was currently going on to the pathologist's assistant about how he spent part of his childhood in the states, thus he lacked a British accent.

He noticed the assistant notice Cas, and spun around to face him. He grinned. Then he coughed, trying to be "professional" again. "Oh, the FBI is here, too. Agents..." He shook Cas's hand, winking. Charlie caught up to Cas, and shook hands, too. Dr. Bree got the little girl's body out. "I'm sure Officer Lestrade can fill you in on the details of the man." she said, walking out of the room.

Cas suddenly found himself being hugged. "Castiel! It's so good to see you!" Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Cas, who is this guy?" she asked. Castiel wiggled out of the hug. "Charlie, this is Garth. He is a hunter an friend of The Winchesters. Garth, this is Charlie, a sort of hunter, hacker, and friend of me and The Winchesters..." Garth tipped his hat. "Nice to meet you.

Funny, I thought you'd be with The Winchesters, given what Dean told me about you. Sorry about your Grace." Cas shrugged. "There are advantages and disadvantages..." Cas registered the middle bit. "Dean told you about me?" Garth nodded. "Yeah, he asked me to keep my eyes and ears open for you when you fell. He was really worried. So why ain't you two together?"

"He couldn't stay. Cas doesn't talk much about it, except that it's complicated. He's rooming with me for the time being." Charlie said. "...Why a Scotland Yard officer, of all things?" Garth held up his hands. "I can't wear those monkey suits. It just feels unnatural..." Charlie and Cas had to agree with that. "Plus, it comes with a cool hat!" Charlie grinned. "I know! Can I?" Garth let Charlie wear the hat for a while.

Cas looked at the little girl's body, tilting his head. He never understood why children had to die. "Penny Stark." he read from her toe tag. He started to look at the hole in her chest. "What sick creature rips a little girl's heart out?" Charlie asked aloud, taking the hat off. Garth shook his head as he inspected the hole, too. "Breaks mine."

"Looks like an animal ripped it out. You can kinda see the claw marks..." Garth noted. Cas nodded. "And what about the other?" The trio made their way to the other body. "It's really weird, all his blood is drained out, but there's not a wound inside or out." Garth explained. "Poor Joel Stark. I can't imagine what their family's going through..."

"Wait, this guy's a Stark, too?" Charlie asked. "These are probably connected. We should talk to the family..." Castiel nodded. "And someone should check out the dump Joel used to work at. There's probably clues." Garth added. "That should be you. You seem know its location." Cas suggested. The three split up and headed to the door. They passed a tall, blond man in a lab coat.

~0~

Cas was sitting with Charlie in The Starks' living room. Mrs. Stark was a wreck, sobbing. Her husky was trying to comfort his beloved master. He always found human sadness uncomfortable as an angel. But since Cas became one himself, he found he couldn't stand seeing it even more. He felt stronger sympathy and empathy, now, and it was too much.

Cas reached his hand out to Mrs. Stark. "I'm very sorry about your brother and daughter..." Mrs. Stark wiped her eyes with a tissue. "Thank you, Agent Graham. It's just too much to take. I feel like I've lost everyone." "I know the feeling..." Charlie said sadly.

"Mrs. Stark, tell me, did Joel have any enemies?" Mrs. Stark blew her nose. "No, not really..." "How about Penny?" Cas mistakenly said. Mrs. Stark reacted as one would expect. "Penny was in 4th Grade. What enemies could she have?" Charlie piped in. "Sorry, my partner here's been working through a lot of cases... He just goes on autopilot sometimes. Graham, why don't you look around?"

~0~

"I found some photographs." Cas stated when they all met up in Garth's hotel room. "I took photographs of them with my phone." "Photoception!" Charlie quipped while researching at her laptop. Cas handed the phone to Garth. The first was a picture of Mrs. Stark, Joel, and Dr. Bree's assistant, all gathered around a pool table.

"Gavin Hooper." Garth said aloud. "That's his name?" Cas asked. "Yeah. He seemed like an alright guy. You don't think he did this?" Cas shrugged. "Well, I also found this one." he said as he scrolled to the next one. It was of The Starks, Gavin, and a familiar blond man standing in front of a building. "I found the same picture in Joel's office!" Garth announced. "Apparently it was from a vacation they all took to The Philippines..."

"The Philippines? ...I think I found what we're dealing with. Something called a sigbin. Okay, get this, they're monsters that drink blood out of their victim's shadow..." Charlie said, flipping her laptop to show the picture of the monster. "So there wouldn't be any wounds..." Garth added. "Right. And, disturbingly enough, they rip the hearts out of children to wear as amulets." Cas's eyes widened. "So this is what's targeting The Starks?" Charlie shook her head. "I don't think it specifically is. You see, according to this, sigbin can be controlled by families called "Sigbinhan". They bring their owners all sorts of luck and fortune."

"So maybe Gavin is a Sigbinhan, and brought one home from The Philippines?" Cas asked. Charlie shrugged. "Possibly. We'll never know if we don't investigate." They all got ready to go, but not before Garth raised his hands. "One minute..."

From his duffel bag, Garth pulled out a shoebox and a Wii that looked like it'd seen better days; wires jutting from the sides and the power chord more electrical tape now than chord. "I found this in the dump! Oh man, I've always wanted one of these bad boys! It still works, and even has Mario Party in it! Maybe we can play it after the case?"

Charlie knew that was a really bad idea, given what Mario Party does to people. "I have never played this game..." Cas stated. "Could we?" Charlie sighed. She didn't want to face Castiel's puppy eyes. She was not as strong as Dean when it came to them. "Fine." Garth grinned. "Awesome! But first let's find out if Gavin's our hombre..."


End file.
